What about sports in Nagaland? Youths, we often say, are the future pillars of any society. And they love to play sports. As a field that can build character, sportsmanship and strength, sports can be beneficial to a society. We need to promote and encourage sports in our State to have more rising stars, to bring not only laurels and put us on the map, but to be well balanced and strong on all fronts

Sports in Nagaland: In Need of Heroes To Save the Day

There is good news for sports lovers in Nagaland with the recent developments: First was the entry of Nagaland in the Plate division of Ranji trophy in Cricket in which Nagaland outplayed Mizoram in the first ever match held in Dimapur; Secondly, the Advisor of Youth and Sports Resources Er.Zale Neikha announced at the NSF Martyr’s Trophy Final 2018, that the artificial turf for football will be completed in Indira Gandhi stadium in Kohima by December 2018; Thirdly, Nagaland fared pretty well in the recently concluded 1st North-East Olympics held in Manipur; Continue reading →

Of the many problems that India is facing, the problem of price rise is one of the most intricate problems. Prices of all commodities are being raised every day, and the common men have been hit the hardest because of this successive raise in prices. Though there are several reasons for this steep rise in price, as responsible citizens we can do our part to check the rising prices through our daily habits and judicious use of resources.

Price Rise in India

Price rise is a world- wide phenomenon. Economists describe it as inflation. Over the past few years, prices have been continuously rising in India and the damage caused by rising price has affected the country’s economy. Besides the urban poor and the landless labourers, the people most affected by this are the fixed income group. Amongst the fixed income group are the middle class who are the backbone of the country.

Technology is already sweeping through classrooms as educators and developers create more and more products to enhance learning. Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and, online educational learning tools aren’t just changing the field for students, they’re shaking up the role of educators, creating philosophical shifts in approaches to teaching, and remodelling the classroom. Adaptive learning software is quickly replacing the role of textbooks in the classrooms, requiring a shift from traditional teaching methodology in which teachers must play a key role in facilitating learning.

Technology and Education: An Overview

Education in today’s world is all about giving students all the required skills to succeed in this new world. So in order to provide all the required skills, it is extremely important to have a classroom environment that motivates the students, an environment that ignites in them the interest for a particular subject and most importantly with zeal to EXCEL. Now, what can a teacher do in order to better the classroom environment? There is various teaching methodology which a teacher can apply.

Nagaland has an unemployment problem, increasing in magnitude owing to various problems prevalent in our system. Employment opportunities are limited in Nagaland in relation to the supply of labour. Another concern is if we have nurtured proficient job seekers in terms of both technical skills and soft skills, capable of entering the professional workforce. In the context of the problem of “educated unemployment”, a term that has been culturally created; the Gandhian approach of self-sufficiency and skill based education has been suggested.

Tackling Unemployment in Nagaland

“True education must correspond to the surrounding circumstances or it is not a healthy growth.” Mahatma Gandhi

Naga society was richly ingrained by social values like honesty, obedience, discipline, perseverance and dignity of labour, traditionally. However, these values have seldom been put into practice and exhibited today. Naga society, today is engrossed with countless problems such as alcoholism, nepotism, bribery, corruption, hatred and most of all unemployment because of the loss of dignity of labour. Today, in the context of Nagaland, the definition of employment would mean government job. Continue reading →

A good piece of writing has the power to stir emotions, to soothe and to enlighten the minds of people. It leaves its soul in the hearts of the readers and its impact cannot be undermined. However, the art of good writing seems to be diminishing today and many have lost the desire to put their thoughts in paper. This culture of correct writing needs to be revived because to lose the art of fine writing would be a loss for humanity.

Culture of Correct Writing

To write well is an exquisite art. The first time I felt its indelible impact was when I picked up my first novel, Pride and Prejudice. It introduced me to an unravelling of how words can leave a powerful impact. Over the years, I have read different genres of books and traversed my mind through varied poems from different time-periods and in all these, the string of words woven in the hands of great writers have never failed to fascinate me. It is an incredible experience to go back to the writings of essays of near perfection in language and to sift through pages of books that reveal human civilization’s finest art.

World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on 10th of October. The theme for this year is “Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World”. Young people today are constantly battling with the trauma of mental illness leading them to take drastic steps such as suicide. Mental illness is a serious issue and yet many do not seek help because of the social stigma associated with it. Keeping in mind this year’s theme, let us all raise awareness and extend support to those who are struggling with mental health.

Mental Health and Wellness

The world health organization estimates that 80,000 people die each year due to suicide which roughly translates as one person per every 40 seconds and suicide was the leading cause among 15 to 29 years old annually. According to research conducted by Nagaland Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) in 2015, Nagaland was the second least suicidal state in the country with 21 cases (0.9℅) behind Bihar with 0.5%. But there was an increase of 61.5% in 2015 compared to 2014 which recorded in 13 cases. In the North-eastern states, NCRB recorded 12,802(5%) cases from 2001 to 2012.

Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or a group. It includes creative expressions, community practices and material forms influenced by the social memory without which culture cannot exist. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, and no future. Culture stands survives on the shoulders of the people.

Keepers of Culture

A couple of years ago, I attended a workshop in Noida at V.V.Giri National Labour Institute for almost a month. Researchers from every part of the country converged to be a part of this programme. After a hectic schedule, the workshop finally came to an end. On the last evening, a cultural programme was organised and all the participants were asked to present a cultural song or dance. All the participants eagerly waited for the cultural programme to unfold, as we all belonged to different cultural backgrounds and it was an evening to celebrate the cultural diversity of the country. Continue reading →

“IF I GOVERN NAGALAND”

Here’s what the winners of the oratory competition held on 15th September at Summer Fest 2018 had to say.

Iziedile (Class 11 Commerce) – Winner

According to Public Affairs Index 2018 released by Public Affairs Centre, Nagaland is among one of the worst governed states in India. And according to Ease of Living Index recently released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, our state capital Kohima is the second most unliveable city in India. So, if I rule Nagaland I would surely have many responsibilities on my shoulders. Being one of the worst governed states, I will have to work on almost every issue that constitutes governing, but today I would like to discuss on a few key points that I think should be worked on first if Nagaland is to get back on track.

Sometimes, you read a book and it transports you into another world, and you become convinced that all living humans must read the book too. Books are the silent and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.

The other day, one of the colleagues asked about my views on why majority of students in Nagaland have bad writing skills. I promptly replied, “Lack of reading habit,” casually. Later, the more I thought about it, the more I realised the depths of feelings I had for my incessant fetish of reading which was like breathing to me. On the contrary, there are many who just ‘can’t find’ the time for reading or who simply find it plain boring. I have heard these replies over the years but I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the thought that something like reading can be boring at all!

Stories are not only an effective tool to encourage us in different aspects of our life, but it can also make us feel less alone. If we are reading a story that moves us, we can feel the emotions of the writer and subconsciously connect to our own story that we live every moment. Human civilization needs mythology. It needs bedrock of story and legend to live coherently. World at the end is shaped by two things-the stories told and the memories they leave behind.

“The world is shaped by two things — stories told and the memories they leave behind.”

Vera Nazarian

Tell A Tale!

Whether you are a housewife, student, businessman, teacher, politician or religious leader; we all love stories to share and hear as well. Storytelling is not a new concept to mankind. It is as old as civilization is! Today our life is influenced by stories in different form like Movies, books, music, news media, religions, architecture, and painting. Although the methods have changed, the desire to tell and hear stories has remained unchanged, and still greatly impacts the way we look at life.